By Sandy Chapman

"...all of us engaged in the teaching enterprise owe it to our students to do two things: Consult experts on teaching and learning, both in print and in person. And talk with each other as much as we can about what works in the classroom, what doesn't, and why."

In the article "An Education in Education," appearing in the "On Course" section, of The Chronicle of Higher Education, columnist James M. Lang, a professor of English, suggests that professors can learn a thing or two from those in the school of education. He makes a case for college instructors perhaps benefiting from an occasional reading of the literature and research on the topics of teaching and learning. Lang's article provides a few suggestions on books for best teaching practices, such as What the Best Teachers Do (2004) by Ken Bain. Books on the list may inspire many faculty members and help them to grow and develop as teachers.

For the article and annotated reading list, go to: http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/07/2006071001c/printable.html

In "Tomorrow's Professor Msg. #39," "The Designated Dozen: Twelve Books Every Science and Engineering Professor Should have on Their Shelf, or in Their Department Office," Rick Reis provides a list of twelve books categorized under four headings:

General References
Preparing for Academic Careers
Succeeding as a Professor
Time-Life Balance

Many of the books on the list would be of interest to those who are teaching in disciplines other than science and engineering such as Rhythms of Academic Life: Personal Accounts of Careers in Academia by P.J. Frost and M. S. Taylor (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996) and Coping with Faculty Stress by W.H. Gmelch (London, SAGE Publications, 1993).

To view the online list, go to: http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings/39.html.